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About

Lush is ideally located on a hillside on the shores of spectacular Lake Atitlán in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala. The hotel has 10 unique rooms and suites, each one individually designed, with one-of-a-kind art works and locally made furniture. All of the rooms boast of incredible views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes, a private terrace or balcony, offering guests a harmonious balance with the surrounding nature.

Stayed 4 nights in Lush in San Marcos. Really beautiful place, "lush" green gardens with stunning tropical flowers everywhere. We stayed in one of the cheaper rooms (Cueva), but still had a double and single bed, good hot powerful shower, good wifi, and a great buffet breakfast. Really interesting room as it was built into the cliff so natural rocks were incorporated into the bathroom and bedroom. One word of warning though is anyone over 6ft tall will struggle in the bathroom ! Breakfast was amazing - fresh bread, selection of fruit, granola, hard boiled eggs, tea, coffee, fresh juice, and fresh banana muffins. It can get a bit busy at breakfast though as it is only 8-10am so most people are there waiting at 8am ! Free filtered water, a little shop for essentials, and friendly helpful reception. We didn't have ac or a fan in the room, but were able to keep the windows open at night with the mosquito netting to let in a nice cool breeze. Great location, nice and peaceful, easy to walk to the main area with shops and restaurants, easy walk to the pier for the boats, and 30secs from the nature reserve entrance. It really is a beautiful piece of paradise.…

we stayed here 3 nights. The garden is wonderful. We had our own room and bathroom. All is spotless clean. And the breakfast is super mjammie. De accomodation is a little pricy but it is worth the money. Side not, we did not see any spider of other insect besides bees :)

Lush reminds me of my hostel backpacking days of my 20s: quirky, stylish, and centrally located... but kinda cheap and a little gritty. And in truth, I don't want to be staying in those kinds of establishments anymore. At $200 per night for 3 in the Sirena suite, I don't see it as necessary. To be more specific, I don't want to be staying in places where I can't put toilet paper down the toilet. I don't want a place with poor temperature control in the shower with minimal water pressure. I don't want to hear club music blaring next door on a Friday night, even if it's "only" til 10pm. I don't want to hear the convos of my neighbors because the walls are too thin. I don't want them hearing ours (and apologies that they did hear our power struggle with our kid over the importance of teeth brushing). I don't want to see bugs all over--while I'm not afraid of them and I've stayed in several nature reserves, the threshold here was just too high. I don't care if they don't bite, aren't poisonous, whatever: good on Lush for not using pesticides but there are other ways to manage bugs without expecting guests to just deal. The rooms here are picturesque, but the details kinda fall apart when looked at closely. It's more style over substance. Construction quality is not great. For example, floors are painted concrete that already look tired despite us being in one of the newly constructed suites. Instead of having actual baseboards, a strip is painted on. Mirrors are held up by construction rebar. Grout work is yikes. Bamboo for load bearing/columns is eco and practical, but joints are bad and it holds up cheap corrugated roofing. The air gaps everywhere allow bad airflow, and we had to tie our shirts to prevent constant slamming doors arising from just a bit of wind, and of course the bugs. Nonexistent insulation and single pane windows meant hot during the day, cold at night. I understand that Lush is an eco hotel, but that's not really an excuse to expect guests to put up with so much at this price point when eco-friendly alternatives are available... just at higher construction costs that the owner didn't seem to want to incur. Which is a shame, because Lush has million dollar views. I actually think what happened--incoming speculation--is that the hotel changed ownership (used to be hotel Aaculaax), rebranded with cool Instagram photos, but didn't do much to upgrade anything except the price. I don't get it. If you have kids under 4 (even 5) don't go for the Sirena. They warn of the steps, but the windows are low to the ground, easily opened, and have a deadly drop. The flowers growing outside the window sill make for an attractive nuisance. I'm not exactly a helicopter parent but even for my laid back standards, I never kept my eyes off my kid so long as we were in the room due to this real risk. Unfortunately I'm not sure what spaces are available for x3 that don't involve the higher up rooms. The staff is lovely. This review is only as high as it is because they did a good job ensuring we had transport when and where we needed, especially at the last minute. They were kind, respectful, and hard-working. The breakfast is good. Landscaping is divine, and the location is fantastic. Hence 3 stars. As another point, don't book excursions through Lush. It does a disservice to the locals who undergo the expense and time to become a certified guide. Guatemalan tour guides have to go through extensive schooling to receive a license, and Lush doesn't use these guides (but will charge you the same price as if they were--we paid the same for our village tour as we did for our full-day Tikal tour; the difference in quality using a licensed vs unlicensed guide was astounding). And while we did book the morning of, at the church in one village we found a licensed guide willing to take us around on the spot... so I'm unsure why this pool of talent wasn't being utilized by Lush. If one does book an excursion, do so in advance and please ask to see the guide credentials: it makes all the difference. They'll wear lanyards with a badge, fyi. Lush also booked a private shuttle from Antigua for $120 and the van didn't have A/C, unlike other transport we've booked at a comparable price. It was no fun to have windows down on the canyon roads, since we dealt with truck exhaust and dust in our face much of the trip. But the driver was nice and showed up on time, so there's that. I don't know if I'm just too picky, but Lush and subsequent experiences do not justify the money. Had the advertising been more forthright, maybe it would've been okay: we've paid more for far more rugged... but we just felt a little duped about what we were walking into. Instagram and the marketed material do not depict the reality here. We paid far less than this at two other hotels in Guatemala and both were far superior.…

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Date of stay: February 2020

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Response from Lushatitlan123, Owner at Lush Atitlan

Responded Feb 23, 2020

Thank you for your feedback. We take our guests’ comments very seriously. We never want guests to book and feel unhappy with what they have received. We are so happy you appreciated our amazing views, wild beautiful gardens and attentive staff. We work very hard to create the space and the overall vibe. Our receptionists continually try to make contact with guests to see if everything is okay with their room and their stay. We do not have any issues with water temperature control or pressure. This was for sure a temporary issue that could be solved if the guests mentioned the issue to us. These guests did not mention any of the issues to us at the hotel, or else we could have helped resolve them. We specifically state that we are not the best suited hotel for children for various reasons. We hope guests take those recommendations seriously. We mention in our room pages the number of steps to get to the room to make guests aware. Our FAQ page specifically talks about our children's policy. Not all guests are suited for a visit to a third world country, let alone a small Mayan village nestled in nature. All hotels in the smaller villages around Lake Atitlan require guests to throw toilet paper in a garbage can and not in the toilet. The toilet paper blocks the small scale septic systems that we have. The truth is that your comfort zone will need to be flexible to make it to these off the beaten path places. we could respond to each and every criticism here individually but the reality is that we have tried to create a little haven while disrupting nature as little as possible. We try to make guests aware of this as much as possible via our website and in the way that we respond to reviews. We do not wish for guests to feel like they are receiving anything in poor quality. We buy the best possible amenities (from sheets, towels, toilet paper, hand crafted soaps, biological cleaning products, antique furniture... fresh baked bread, homemade jams and muffins), we put attention to detail in every corner of the hotel.... The guides we use from the neighboring village are certified and professional. I’m sorry they did not meet your expectations. We did not want to build a fortress that blocks out the nature, instead use natural materials (whenever possible) to build into the mountainside. The room these guests booked is literally built into the rock of the mountainside, so impossible to seal completely. We started building the hotel over 20 years ago, piece by piece, building by building, experimenting and playing with design ideas and local materials as we have gone along. We have tried to create a little haven. It is not perfect. We are not a regular mainstream hotel. Mainstream guests will not appreciate the hotel and tend to focus on the peculiarities… We really do not want guests to have the expectation that we are anything other than what we are. We are so sorry if our guests are ever disappointed.

I will start with saying that Lush is just that... lush vegetation, beautiful rooms, great little continental breakfast, very nice staff. However, it is completely not worth it to stay here, because you can’t sleep at all. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t sleep... the rest of my day is completely shot. They have a dog on/right next to the property that is caged up and barks ALL night. I am serious when I say it barks for almost 6-7 hours straight. I would actually welcome some the wind coming in from all the cracks in the windows/doors, zero sound barriers bt rooms etc, if it would block out the noise from that dog. The beds are exceptionally hard, which may be ok for some, and can actually be nice for a night or two.... but couple that with zero sleep and you feel horrible the rest of the day. We have had to cancel morning yoga, hikes etc, Bc you physically can’t participate due to lack of sleep. It’s not too, too far from the dock ( but don’t get me wrong, it’s down a dirt alley that is terribly scary at night). There are restaurants next to it. The one restaurant took over 1 hour to get a hamburger. All in all, If you can sleep through anything... this place is perfect for you. If you care about your vacation time, and appreciate a good mix of sleep and activity... this place is not for you. I do recommend La Fortuna though, which is a moderately short boat ride toward Pana.…

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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends

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Response from Lushatitlan123, Manager at Lush Atitlan

Responded Feb 18, 2020

Thank you for your feedback. It is helpful for us to better serve our guests. Our neighbor had his dog caged for 1 night and we immediately spoke to him in the morning. I’m so sorry this disrupted your sleep. But the dog is not usually caged and barking. Our neighbor was responsive and has agreed not to cage his dog in the future. We have orthopedic mattresses that are quite firm. We change them every 3 years to ensure our guests have a good night’s sleep and the health of their backs. We are less than 5 minutes from the dock and have little cobbled and dirt paths in San Marcos. The lower part of the village has a few street lamps but is in the nature and not totally lit. We always offer guests to help them find the hotel. If you felt unsafe we would have been happy to escort you to the restaurant or back to the hotel. We are in a small Mayan village where things take a little more time. I’m sorry you had to wait for food at a nearby restaurant. We are glad you found a place around the lake to enjoy its splendor.

I stayed at Lush Atitlan last summer and absolutely loved the experience. The property is built into the hill surrounded by jungle, and the flowers and gardens at Lush Atitlan were exactly that- LUSH! I stayed in the Mirador room while my friends stayed in the Sirena room, and each were unique and special in their own ways. I love that no two rooms are the same at Lush Atitlan. The views of the volcano and the lake from Mirador and Sirena were stunning. The food and breakfast spread were incredible, and the service was excellent. Regarding the bugs that other reviews are complaining about, this is to be expected in any hotel on Lake Atitlan and after my first night in Guatemala, they stopped bothering me. Yes there are spiders, but if anything they are scared of humans and eat the mosquitos. Remember that the hotel is built in a jungle so you are in their home, they aren't in yours! If they really bother you, consider booking a room there that doesn't have an outdoor shower/bathroom. I highly recommend Lush Atitlan and look forward to hopefully staying there again soon!…

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